Introduction
After an applicant school provides complete documentation and the Evaluator reports the school is prepared for site visitors, staff will establish dates agreeable to the school and site visitors. The list below provides basic information on approved, qualified medical school site visitors.
Site visitors were enlisted principally from faculty attending the Association of American Medical Colleges Annual Meeting in 2005 and 2006. Below is the exhibit as it appeared in Seattle, Washington, shortly before the Exhibit Hall was opened.
International Association of Medical Colleges
Site Visitor Panel
Reasons for maintaining a Site Visitor Panel
The International Association of Medical Colleges (IAOMC) is dedicated to enhance medical education using international standards of accreditation. A Site Visitor Panel Member is one who has indicated a willingness to serve as a site visitor or evaluator, submitted their CV, found qualified by the President, referred to the Trustees for approval and has been approved. The Panel provides a sufficient number of pre-qualified, impartial individuals to allow availability for selected dates. To publicly insure expertise and impartiality the site visitor’s qualifications are published. The site visitor panelist will be divided into one or more of three categories, basic science, clinical scientist and administrator.
The Site visitor panel is independent; its members bi-annually elect the panel’s Chair and Secretary from among its members. The current Panel Chair will have a voting, permanent seat on the Board of Trustees. The Panel has its own by laws.
Applications.
An applicant for either an evaluator or site visitor position must forward his or her curriculum vitae to the Panel’s Chair. An applicant may be retired as long as the panel Chair determines the applicant is current in medical affairs.
New Panel member selection.
The panel’s Chair will first review an applicant site visitor’s CV for apparent compliance with the stated requirements. If compliant the Chair will then send an email proposal of acceptance to all Panel members. Thus new site visitors are reviewed and recommended by the Chair and elected by the site visitor panel. Appeal: if not in apparent compliance, the applicant will be advised of the reason for such a finding. Should the applicant contest the negative finding they may appeal to the Chair in writing indicating the reasons why. Should the Chair overrule the earlier finding copies of all correspondence shall automatically be reviewed by the Trustees at their next meeting.
Team selection.
After the Evaluator finds apparent compliance, he/she notifies the school and the Site Visitor Panel Chair. The Chair will notify all panelist of the upcoming site visit and determine which members wish to considered. Each interested panelist needs to determine if there may be a conflict of interest or if there is any apparent conflict of interest. There is no obligation for any site visitor to visit any school or to explain why they choose not to visit that school. Selection of individual five site visitors to serve on any school site visiting team will be done by the Panel’s elected Chair in an open and transparent process. An individual’s experience and expertise will be used as the Chair’s primary basis of selection for any category. An attempt will be made to insure that all panel members serve an equal number of times since their appointment. Preference will be given to those with longer experience and/or greater responsibility for the first assignments. Site visitors’ expertise is focused in three separate areas of medical education: basic science, clinical science and administration. Each team will have two basic scientist, two clinical scientists and one administrator. When the Chair has chosen a complete panel their CV’s are sent to applicant school. The applicant school has ten days to file a written objection to any proposed site visitor for Board determination. When the site visitors are finally selected, the evaluator will forward the site visitor’s proposed instructions to the applicant for review and comment. The time for the school applicant to provide any comment or objection to the proposed instructions is one week after receipt of the site visitor instructions. When this process is complete and the school has paid the expense of the review the Chair will schedule the site visit. Consideration will be given to convenient dates for the applicant school, and Government Panel Chair.
International Evaluator and Site visitor Qualifications
The minimum requirement for appointment to become an evaluator is no less than;
- 10 years as a full time medical educator, with five years of those years as a senior faculty member and have been a site visitor no less than three times, or
- 15 years experience as a medical school regulator, with duties that include evaluation of medical schools and have been a site visitor no less than three times and Chair of a visiting team at least once.
- An evaluator will receive an honorarium of $500.00 per day.
The minimum requirement for appointment to the panel of site visitors is no less than - 7 years as a full time medical educator with three years as a senior faculty member, or
- 10 years experience as a medical school regulator with duties that include site visiting and reporting.
- Site visitor panel membership is voluntary and uncompensated, except each site visitor will receive an honorarium of $350.00 per day plus expenses for each of the allowed customary five visiting days. This will cover the time to travel, visit the site and write a report. All travel, hotel, dining and extraordinary expenses will be reimbursed.
Site Visitor Training.
A site visitor applicant that fulfills the requirements in the preceding section, but has little or no experience as a site visitor must take a training course before going on a site visit. Class size is limited to approximately 10 students. The course will be one or two days in length. Materials will be sent in advance and must be mastered before class begins.
Evaluator Training.
Any site visitors who have been on one or more site visits and wishes to become an evaluator may begin training to become an evaluator. They will be trained as an apprentice under the personal tutelage of a regular panel evaluator. When an individual has satisfactorily completed an apprenticeship and been on a sufficient number there is a need for an additional evaluator, the Chair will add their name to the evaluator panel.
Dismissal.
Any site visitor participating on a site visit team that has an undeclared bias or has engaged in unethical conduct may be dismissed from the panel. The determination to dismiss a panelist for such reason may only be done on recommendation of the Chair and a majority of the panel members voting for such dismissal.
Should the President determine, after consultation with the Chair, that the current number of panelist should be expanded; the role of the panel Chair will be to solicit applications. On receipt of applications the Chair will promptly review and either proposes to approve/disapprove an applicant.
Any public comment will be considered by the evaluator and site visitors. Little weight will be given to unsigned or unsubstantiated reports. Evaluator will consider any applicant comments or objections and send the instructions to site visitors’ team.
Secretary.
The Panel secretary will maintain the records of the panel in an accurate, open and transparent manner and publicly post them on the Association’s website. The Secretary will also send, receive, and record email votes and forward the outcome for posting on IAOMC’s web site. When a conference call is necessary the Secretary will prepare the agenda, notify the members and make the necessary arrangements. The Panel’s business, elections, selection of site visitors, approval of panel applicants, or other decisions made will be open and transparent. Copies will be forwarded by the Panel Secretary to anyone requesting them.
Voting.
Any Panel matter may be voted on by taped, transcribed conference call, e-mail or regular mail ballot. The position of the members will be democratically determined by vote at any duly called lawful meeting in which a quorum is present. More than 50% 0f the panel members shall constitute a quorum. Decisions shall be made by a majority vote of those members voting. Separate email rules will govern email voting.
The exchange of thoughts and ideas will be principally by email, fax or regular mail. Conference calls will be authorized by the Chair when required. The electronic forum will allow an orderly global free flow of ideas. To implement electronic decision making the following system of email voting will be used. The Panel members will meet electronically or by conference call as often as the need requires. They may meet in person at such time and place as may be determined by the Panel Chair in consultation with and concurrence of IAOMC Board.
Any panel concern, report and/ or recommendation will automatically be added to the next IAOMC Board agenda.
Any signed petition or resolution prepared in which 3/4th of the panel membership waive notice of meeting and unanimously agree will be binding on those who chose not to participate
Site Visitor Protocol
The Role of the Evaluator.
The Panel Chair chooses the evaluator for each medical school’s application.
- First Review; Completeness.
The evaluator’s first review of an applicant medical school’s documents will be for completeness. Should he/she determine any document is missing or that the protocol for self evaluation has not been substantially followed he will write the applicant school with a copy to the Chair detailing his/her findings. When the evaluator determines the application is complete a notice is posted on IAOMC website stating; “- [school name]- has made application for review and accreditation, any person or organization wishing to make comment is invited to do so.” - Second Review; Apparent Compliance.
After the evaluator finds the application complete his/her next review is for apparent compliance with IAOMC standards. When the evaluator finds the applicant school in apparent compliance he/she promptly notifies the Site Visitor Panel Chair and applicant school. The evaluator also sends the Panel Chair verification instructions along with a copy of all documents.
The Role of the Panel Chair is detailed in; “Team selection” above.
The Role of the Site Visitors Qualified expert medical educators serve as site visitors to;
- confirm the established self study protocols have been followed,
- verify the applicant’s data and documents,
- respond to the points raised by the evaluator,
- insure the quality of education is in compliance with IAOMC’s global standards.
Timing.
Site visitors arrive and normally complete their review within the three scheduled days.
Reporting.
Each site visitor provides his or her report to the Chair of the site visiting team within a week of his or her return. The Team Chair prepares a summary report to the Evaluator within the following week and attaches the site visitor’s reports. The applicant receives a copy of this report and may also provide written comment to the Evaluator. When there are distant hospitals or office sites an additional honorarium will be paid. The full site visiting team may be reduced to two members for distant sites. The Chair will maintain a log of hours for conducting site visitor business and will be paid on the basis of an 8 hour day. The Chair will receive an honorarium of $350.00 per day and be reimbursed for travel, hotel, dining and extraordinary expenses.
Electing the Panel Chair and Secretary.
If at any time during the terms of the Chair or Secretary they should become disabled, die or retire, the President shall nominate a successor from among the panel members to serve the balance of the term. Both the Chair and Secretary will be elected for a period of two years from among those panel members willing serve in those respective offices. Shortly prior to the end of their terms the Secretary will inquire of all panel members if they are willing to serve as Chair or Secretary of the panel. Four days later the names of all willing to serve will be sent to all members for their selection of Secretary by email vote. The person with the highest number of votes will assume the office. The first election will be completed by the President following the process outlined above. Thereafter, the panel officers will conduct the panel’s elections.
Electronic mail voting
First,
Only the Site Visitor Chair or Secretary may submit an e-mail proposal to all other site visitors.
Second.
Each panel member will automatically be required to vote within seventy two hours of the time sent. The seventy two hour period excludes weekends and holidays. Failure to timely respond results in a forfeiture of the right to vote on the immediate proposal
Third.
Any email voting proposal shall have the following preset voter options that follow the proposal; A. Approve B. Disapprove C. Approve with policy modification, D. This issue requires a telephone conference. E. Abstain. A voter may add such comment as they may choose. The majority of voters shall rule.
Fourth.
It will be presumed a proposal simultaneously sent to all members will have been received by each of them if it has not been returned to sender.
Fifth.
It is the responsibility of each voting member and/or alternate to maintain and monitor a current operating e-mail address that has been provided to all those entitled to vote.
Sixth.
Any and all email voting reply shall be by replying to all voters simultaneously.
Seventh.
A voting irregularities shall be finally resolved by the Advisory Council Executive Committee.
Additional By-Laws.
Any section of the site visitor by-laws may be amended by two thirds of the entire voting site visitor panel members or a majority of the IAOMC Board.